The parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU, Jens Spahn, has acknowledged errors in judgment following the postponement of the election for three judges to the Federal Constitutional Court.
According to a report in “Bild” the admission came in a letter Spahn addressed to the members of his parliamentary group. In the letter, Spahn wrote that the leadership of the parliamentary group and he personally as chairman, had underestimated “the magnitude of the fundamental and substantive reservations” concerning one of the candidates.
He stated that the impression that a suspicion of plagiarism was the central concern should not have been created. Rather, it was only the final element that made securing a majority in the upcoming election impossible. Spahn indicated that the decision to halt the process on Friday came too late.
The CDU politician also took a share of responsibility alongside the SPD parliamentary group leadership. “We were no longer able to find a compromise with the SPD on Friday. Both sides bear a share in that” the “Bild” report quoted from the letter. He further expressed confidence that a solution could be found collaboratively with the SPD, following extensive discussions over the weekend, both internally and with the coalition partner.
Spahn announced a review of the strategy for cooperation with the SPD. He stated that the parliamentary group leadership will utilize the summer period to draw appropriate conclusions, especially regarding future collaboration – within the group and between the coalition parliamentary groups. The emphasis, he stressed, would be on trust and shared understanding. A closed-door meeting of the executive boards of the CDU/CSU and SPD at the end of August will be a key component of this process.